EUROCARD OPEN

October 31, 1999

Richard Krajicek

ATP: Ladies and Gentlemen, questions, please.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah, well, six years ago I think it was a worse decision. Gives a little bad aftertaste to the match. In a way, a lot happened. I started off pretty slow or ugly, however you want to call it. Thomas took good advantage of it. From 5-Love in the first, I think it was a pretty good match. I turned it around. I almost changed the momentum. Then 3-1, he changed the momentum back in the fourth. Yeah, I was basically hanging in there. When you're hanging in and you get a call like that, that just hurts a little bit. But, yeah, it just happens. I also told the umpire that I didn't expect him to overrule. I know it happens, but it always -- it's a shame, in a way, you know. We both are fighting for two and a half hours on the court. A call like that just gives a little bit of a bad aftertaste to me. I think to Thomas less, but to me a little bit of a bad aftertaste. I'd rather have him hit in and then I have to say, "Too good" or "Bad volley." It would have been nice to go back to deuce and maybe hold on to that game and go in a breaker. With a little bit of a luck, maybe I could have won the fourth. You saw how he reacted after losing the third. Maybe I could get into his head a little bit. You never know. I think he was playing better than me, but I was hanging in there. I almost turned it around. It would have been a nice fight and a nice maybe even victory if I could have won today, because he was playing, I think, at the top of his game.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I was a little bit in doubt, but then I saw the mark was clearly three-quarters of an inch, centimeter and a half wide, whatever. The guy sitting on the line, I don't know what he was thinking of. Maybe he looked to the baseline or something. Like I said, it just gives a bad aftertaste. Everybody is human. I'm not going to talk bad about the linesmen. It's just a shame. It would have been nice to go back to deuce. If he would have hit two good passing shots or returns, then, yeah, I have more of a feeling, "Okay, you're just too good today." Now I have the feeling maybe there was still a chance for me.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. Like I said, I started very slow. I noticed it a little bit against Greg yesterday, you also saw my first serve percentage was down. Against Greg, I lost a bit of my rhythm on my serve. It took a while to get it back. He took well advantage of it. I have to give him credit also, sometimes I really hit a few very good serves into his body, and I don't know, falling away, just hitting off my feet, passing me. I have to give him credit for that. I think if I would have started a little bit better, it would have been closer in the first set. From 5-Love, I think I was actually pretty happy with my game. I held serve, had a break chance. In the second, I was playing okay. He still broke me. Then at 4-All, 40-Love was, of course, crucial. But, yeah, it's a shame if you really in a way give like a first set not away, but the match basically started in the second set. It's always difficult to fight back from such an easy -- basically two sets to love down. Not an easy two sets to love down, but you give the first set, lose the second in a close fight, but you're not one set down, but two sets down. It's a long way to go from there.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I don't know. First depends how I play next week. It depends how I feel. I've seen guys in the past, and I think I've done it also myself once, that you become desperate and you start really chasing. That's the worst thing to do, because if you want to lose first or second round in a tournament, you have to do that, because there's no way you win the match. If I go with the right frame of mind, then I feel like I'm really up to playing a tournament, then I go. But the only thing I'm thinking of, I have to make 200 points to qualify. In a way I'm feeling not ready to go, a little flat in the head, it's no use because I'm not going to do it then. I'm not going to make those 200 points or whatever I have to make. I have to look at myself and be honest with myself if I'm really ready to give it an honest shot. But for the moment, there's another Super 9 coming up, a lot of points there. Today was big. It was important. I mean, now I'm like tenth or something, one spot up after a final. It would have been nice to be likes six or seven, which I would have been if I would have won today. You're just feeling a little more relaxed, I guess. A quarterfinal enough is probably to clinch it next week. Now, yeah, semis or maybe finals to pass all these guys. Suddenly, everybody decided to play well. Lapentti wins an indoor event. Rusedski is coming close, even though he says he doesn't believe it in a way anymore, but I don't trust him (laughter). Tim, okay, he had the finals in Basel. Maybe last couple weeks he was struggling a little bit. Yeah, he's a good indoor player also. He could start playing well. There's a lot of guys who are pushing each other for the last spot or maybe the last two spots. You have to fight. I heard that the section where I'm in is pretty strong in Paris, so it's going to be interesting.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I thought it was strong (laughter).

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Good for the bonus points, I guess (laughter). I have to fight, like I said. I'm looking if I want to qualify, I have to win another three or four matches next week. I feel confident. It's going to be a little bit different surface, if I'm not mistaken. I hope I will adjust and let's see if I can break my quarterfinals maximum I've had in Paris. Playing unbelievable here. Paris has been completely the opposite for me. I hope I can break that a little bit. It will be interesting. It would have been much happier and much more relaxed going into next week if I would have won today.